Meet the Character : Polly!

Polly’s the life of the party and the lifeguard of our Haven holiday parks.
She can’t resist a sing-along and she loves nothing more than having a good ol’ swim (we reckon she was one of those singing fishes in a former life, remember them?).

If you’ve been following the blog during summer, you might already know that we’re getting to know the Haven characters a little better. And we’re giving you the chance to do the same.

So, I’m about to share some bits about Polly the lifeguard with you.

But if you have anything you’d like to say to her yourself, please leave a comment beneath the post (there’s also a little game for you at the end of this one).

Who’s Polly?

Polly’s the prettiest of all our characters, she’s a bit of a dancing queen and she’s probably our funniest lifeguard.Beware, she will remind you that she’s a lifeguard. And she will remind youa lot.

Polly doing her Lifeguard duties!

She’s very proud.

You can’t miss her at poolside – she’s the one with the bright red hair, probably dancing … or resting on a sun-lounger after dancing.

When the sun goes down, Polly takes to the stage with a bunch of other characters to keep the kids laughing and partying until bed time.

Polly’s also a keen baker. She loves a strawberry swirl dessert. And, behind all the fun and games, she takes her job very seriously.

Three activities Polly loves to host for the kids

Not only does Polly run the swimming pool and local beach – she also runs some of the most popular activities we have on-park (I don’t know where she gets the energy).

1. Polly’s Search and Rescue

Picture the scene …

A boat has tipped upside down just off the coast. The coastguard has called for support from Polly and her team to help rescue the passengers. She needs to gather up as many life rings as possible, so she can save everybody from the water.

But there’s a problem – all the life rings are scattered around the park and time is running out.

It’s up to the kids (and any energetic grownups) to use the map and bring them all back to Polly.

Time to get a move on.

The game’s all about working as a team, moving from life ring to life ring and collecting them as you go, before delivering them to Polly who’s waiting back at the stage.

Any kid that enjoys exploring and hunting things down is going to love this one.

We hope Polly’s got her sun-cream on!

2.Polly’s Swim a Song

This is such a special activity for the babies and toddlers.

It’s a sensory session, designed to teach the little ones how to have fun with water and swimming (no actual swimming takes place).

The number one message is safety. Like I said, Polly takes her lifeguarding very seriously.

But that doesn’t take away from the splashing, bubbles and fun.

The age group is 0-4 (if you’re holidaying with new babies, this is one of the most magical activities for them … especially if they enjoy bath time anyway).

Polly introduces herself, along with a Funstar or two. There are big splash mats and bowls of water set up around the room.

The kids are involved from the start (because Polly asks them a lot of questions).

Before any splashing happens, Polly sings her specially-made theme tune for the class – Swim-a-Song. And because she loves it so much, she asks the kids to join in for a second round.

Then she asks the kids to all sit closer to her and the Funstars by the stage. Everyone huddles in close and you can see the kids getting really into it at this point – in anticipation of what’s going to happen with the water.

As there’s no swimming pool involved, everyone gathers around the water stations on the mats. Then Polly takes the kids on an imaginary journey – describing the beach and ocean before asking everybody to make a big splash in the water.

It’s also nice to see her pause to explain the importance of arm bands and being accompanied by a grownup when near the pool or sea in ‘real life’. Everybody puts on their arm bands and after the first big splash, it’s time for another song, only this time the kids can splash as they sing – copying Polly and the Funstars.

Next up is the activity with Quackers – Polly’s water-loving friend. He’s a rubber duck, and everybody gets a mini Quackers to play with at their water station, while they sing the Quackerssong.

And finally, the Funstars break out the bubble gun. It’s amazing to watch the tots follow the bubbles around the room and try to pop them with clapped hands.

Of course, there’s a song to go with this part too. In case you haven’t noticed by now, Polly has a song for everything – and that’s why the next activity is her fave …

3.Polly’s Pop Charts

In this activity, Polly picks out one child at a time from the crowd. And there are two teams of grownups on the stage.

He or she is given a set of headphones, and blindfolded, so no sneaky eye-contact can be made with either team.

Five words will be played through the headphones for the child to repeat out loud. And it’s up to the grownups to guess the song or celeb.

It’s a buzzer game. And adults always seem to get overexcited when there’s a buzzer involved!

Whichever team guesses the most songs or celebs wins the game.

I don’t think Polly’s quite getting the hang of the new Face in a hole at Haven!

See if you can guess this one: I managed to get my hands on one of Polly’s celebs + the five words from the game. Let’s see if you can guess the correct answer in the comments:

FIONA

GREEN

SWAMP

OGRE

DONKEY

Even if you don’t know the answer, leave a comment anyway (about anything you like) and we’ll pass the message onto Polly.

I know lots of our holidaymakers love having a laugh with Polly on the park, and I’ve seen some hilarious pictures on Facebook.

If you have any of your own to share, please send them to us and we might be able to publish some on the blog (if you’re happy for us to).

The next character we’re getting to know better is Anxious the Elephant (one of my personal faves).

Comments

Matthew Muir

I understand this idea may be difficult to do, but I was wondering, in terms of the Seaside Squad’s Christmas attire (like the outfits seen in ‘Spot The Squad’), if Polly could have a new outfit. Her new attire would comprise of a Christmas jumper (green instead of Ned’s red one), a short red skirt and a pair of flat red shoes (although she wouldn’t wear any socks or tights). Could you perhaps forward this idea to the creative team? Thank you